Trapped Memories
by GamerGirlandCo
Summary: A letter. That was all it took to strain Elyssia and Peater's relationship, and release the memories trapped deep within her soul. And the fact that the city's dealing with terrorism from what could potentially be zombies wasn't helping at all. Will this be the end of the good life that Elyssia had so painstakingly built? (Sequel to TTTBAF).
1. The Scarlet Letter

_**TRAPPED MEMORIES**_

 _ **CHAPTER 1: The Scarlet Letter**_

 **A/N: Alrighty! Welcome to Trapped Memories, TTTBAF's sequel! Note: to avoid confusion, read the first story, because it builds up to this one. Hm, come to think of it, I find that reading the sequel before the first story is like building a house and starting with the third floor, instead of the first. It's called the scientific method, people! Why am I still rambling? I have NO IDEA. So . . . uh, let's get going, shall we?**

 **Enjoy! XD**

I was curled up in the fetal position beside Peater, clutching him like a lifeline as I cried till it hurt. I didn't even dare to glance at the letter for fear of the memories and sadness it would bring.

"What's wrong, Elyssia? Is it the letter?" he asked, gesturing towards letter that I was trying so hard not to look at. I nodded, and handed the letter to him, which he promptly read aloud.

" _Dear Elyssia,_

 _By the time you read this, I'm gonna guess that it's past May 13, 2014. So I should just make it clear that I didn't die ― I just teleported outta there and over to where I'm living right now. Anyways, I'm writing this to tell you some news you'll find . . . interesting. First of all, Adria and Alana are alive and well. Turns out that when the bomb was dropped, they were just knocked out. By the time they had regained consciousness, you had run home. The reason why they didn't follow you was because they "wanted a bit of a break." From what, I don't know. So, they found a couple of dummies, disguised them as their corpses, and spent the next few months wandering around looking for a place to stay, surviving by stealing food, and sneaking into the basements of stores to sleep. They eventually came by our place, and they've been living here for around a month now. The next piece of news: I have this brother. His name's Alduin. Apparently, you knew each other from school? Anyways, he told me you stabbed him with a knife because you wanted revenge. As soon as he was dead, he looked around for a way to give his soul a body. He eventually did so with some needle he found on the side of the road, so he's officially . . . alive._

 _We're all living together now, and . . . we're dying to see you. Adria and Alana are going on and on about how you were the best sister they ever had. Alduin and I just want to see you again. Come and visit when you get a chance, okay?_

 _Missing you a lot,_

 _Ash Lethus._ "

"They left . . . they practically abandoned me . . ." I sobbed.

"I . . . I don't wanna talk about it." I whispered.

"Aw, come on! Give over! Your sisters are alive! Why aren't you happy?" Peater protested as more tears fell from my eyes.

"Whether or not they're alive . . . it doesn't matter. I'm just so shocked that they would cause me so much grief . . . just because they needed to escape . . ." I cried, my sadness slowly turning into anger.

" _WHAT IS IT THAT THEY WERE SO DESPERATE TO GET AWAY FROM THAT THEY DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING AS SELFISH AS . . . AS . . ._ " I couldn't continue my rant. I collapsed once more into a fit of crying as I remembered that these were my _sisters_. Well, we might not have been real sisters, but we're definitely that close. Why was I so angry at them?

"Elyssia . . . calm down. They probably had their reasons. Remember all that stuff I did to you? And all that stuff you did to me? We were able to give each other another chance. Therefore . . . they deserve a second chance too." Peater whispered as he hugged me tightly.

"Now . . . who is this Alduin boy-plant, this cousin I never knew I had?"

Once again, I felt that sharp pain at the back of my head. I yelped and put a leaf to the sore area. It burned, the exact same way it burned _that night . . ._

"Elyssia? What's wrong? Are you all right?" Peater asked.

"Does this have anything to do with Alduin ―"

"NO! SHUT UP!" I screeched as I bolted into a standing position. Peater recoiled at my anger, which snapped me back to my senses.

"S-sorry . . . I just need a bit of time to myself." I mumbled as I squeezed his leaf.

He nodded and walked out of the room, meekly closing the door behind him with a small click. I lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling ponderingly.

 _Why am I mad at my sisters?_

 _Why was I stupid enough to open that letter?_

 _Why am I yelling at Peater for something that isn't even his fault?_

 _Why am I letting these trapped memories . . . these trapped feelings . . . control me like a puppet?_

* * *

Hours later, I heard a faint knock on the door.

"Come in." I said flatly.

"Hey. Just wanted to check in with ya." Peater murmured as he sat beside me on the bed.

"About what happened earlier . . . is there anything wrong?" he asked.

"Uh . . . no . . ." I mumbled.

"Look ― I'm sorry . . . I was taking my anger out on you when you didn't do anything to me. I guess I was being a bit of a ―" Peater cut me off and gave me a tight hug I wasn't prepared for.

"You're . . . gonna . . . squeeze the life outta me, Peater!" I groaned. Despite having difficulty breathing, I returned the hug anyways.

"Aw, Elyssia . . . it's okay. I guess I shouldn't have tried to be nosy, huh?" he whispered.

"You weren't being nosy . . . you were just worried about me, that's all." I replied with a smile.

"I understand if you're not ready to tell me, Elyssia. When you wanna talk, just let me know, all right?" he said.

"Okay . . . I most definitely will!" I laughed.

"We should get dinner going, shouldn't we?" Peater suggested.

"Yeah . . . we should . . ." I mumbled.

After hastily cooking up two plates of pasta, and wolfing it down like we hadn't eaten in a year, he and I headed upstairs to go to bed.

"Elyssia . . . I can tell that you've been through so much more that I know." Peater whispered as he turned off the lights. I was about to deny those words, but they were so true. I simply nodded in response and looked into his eyes. In return, he stared into mine.

As I felt his gaze penetrating the innermost depths of my soul, I could tell that he could sense the suffering and the painful memories that I was trying so hard to hide inside. I snuggled up closer to him and closed my eyes, ready to drift into my dreams.

 **A/N: Well, now you know what the letter holds, folks! I know, it's been WAY longer than my promised 32 days, but I've been so worn out and stuff. Hey, at least this thing's out in the open! As usual, reviews are very greatly appreciated, and until next time, PEACE OUT THE PUPPET!**

 **~A domani! (hopefully . . . :P)**


	2. Shadow Man

_**CHAPTER 2: Shadow Man**_

 **A/N: Yo, merry Christmas, people! First new thing actually written in 3 months! I'm still recovering from a severe form of writer's block, in which I have a plot but when I open up MS Word, the words won't come out. So updates in general will still be VERY sporadic, but I'll try my best. I am willing and able to SACRIFICE myself and endure major headaches JUST for you devoted fans! So be sure to give me some Advil or something XD JUST KIDDING, I ain't gonna put that burden on your shoulders, so without further ado, let's get on with the story!**

I woke up to bright sunlight streaming through my window in a hazy, golden color at 7:30 AM. The light of the new day filled me with confidence and strength, but it didn't erase the pain of countless days before. I smiled softly, before glancing at Peater, who was still asleep with a peaceful look on his face. For a few seconds, I envied him, wishing that I was always this peaceful inside. Putting my inner struggles aside, I nudged him awake.

"Morning, love." I whispered.

"Morning, Elyssia." he yawned as he stretched and sat up.

"You feeling all right today? Because I know that yesterday was a bit of a . . ." He trailed off as soon as he saw my change in expression. For if I had any hopes of not having a breakdown of some sort today, they were vanquished with those very words.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Perfectly fine." I lied quickly in a tone of voice that was colder than usual.

"Are you sure? Because —"

"Look, do you want to have another fight today?" I snapped, before regaining my bearings.

"Elyssia . . . are you okay?" Peater whispered as he put his arm around me.

"Y . . . no . . . I dunno." I mumbled as my eyes found the floor, too ashamed to meet his.

"Listen — I want you to be happy, Elyssia. To be peaceful. And keeping it all inside ain't gonna help." he whispered.

I didn't answer, for now wasn't the time to cough up my blood.

"Look, I think we should just wipe this slate clean, you know? Let's just pass off this morning as a rough start to the day. All right?" Peater suggested as he hugged me.

"Now let's try again."

* * *

After washing up, I returned to my room, only to find that special, silver necklace that Peater gave to me. I picked it up and held it to my heart, letting a single tear roll down my scarred cheek as I remembered the promise he and I had made over a year ago.

" _Promise me you'll never get hurt, kidnapped or killed."_

 _Ha_. I didn't just break that promise — I _shattered_ it into a million pieces. Sure, I got kidnapped. And oh yeah, let's not forget all those cuts, scrapes and gashes. But the worst form of me breaking this promise was not nearly getting killed. It was getting _hurt_. Emotionally. Sure, all my wounds on the outside have healed and stuff, but that didn't mean that I wasn't bleeding half to death inside. I promised that I wouldn't get hurt in any way, shape or form. And yet I allowed my past and my inner demons treat me like a punching bag, or a shooting target.

 _Or a willing victim._

And you wanna know the worst part?

I still _am_.

I'm _still_ letting my inner demons get the best of me and cut me up inside, and I'm _still_ breaking that promise by allowing that.

And I don't know how the _hell_ I'm supposed to make it stop.

Putting that necklace around my neck helped me feel a bit better. I was confused as to why as I descended the stairs, and I was _still_ pondering it as I silently ate my oatmeal. But as Peater and I were about to exit through the door, our eyes suddenly met, giving me the answer.

 _There's still hope. There's an answer floating around somewhere out there, and you just gotta find it._

Even the hardest math equations are simplified. Even the toughest rocks are eventually decomposed, eroded away by time and nature itself. And even the worst wounds can heal. Even if it takes forever.

And so, as I grasped Peater's leaf and we headed towards the subway station, I felt a bit more optimistic, a bit happier. No, all my problems weren't gone. But I had taken one step out of what could be hundreds, maybe _thousands_ on my journey to solving them.

* * *

Work was rather boring, as was the case lately. Yes, even peacetime jobs get boring after a while, especially if you're doing pretty much the same thing _over and over and over_.

"Hey, Elyssia?"

Someone tapped my shoulder as I typed away at a report. Now, normally, I don't like being disturbed when I'm working hard at _anything_ , so it would be something of an understatement to say that I was a _bit_ more than mildly irritated.

"What is it?" I asked as I reluctantly paused my typing and turned around. The plant that had disturbed me was none other than Peater himself.

"Hey, uh . . . can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked.

"'Bout what? And please, make this quick. I got a report to finish, and —" He didn't give me a chance to finish, for he had cut me off with a look.

"Look — rumour has it that the zombies might be coming back. Didn't you hear about the shooting in the Sheppard-Yonge subway station?"

At that statement, my eyes widened to the size of quarters.

"Where'd you hear about that? 'Cause I don't remember —"

"It's big talk all over, Elyssia. The main targets were plants, and the shooters were suspected to be zombies. They couldn't tell because they were wearing ski masks. Those attackers could've been zombies —"

"Or crazed plants!" I finished briskly.

"Look, I don't get why we should get ourselves all wound up over something that's probably not a big threat —"

"But we should keep our guard up, just in case it is!"

"Look, can't we talk about this sometime else? Because there's a time and a place for everything, you know."

After I'd said that, he let out a sigh and left me to my work. But as I was finishing the rest of the report, I began to take Peater's words into a bit of consideration. It could be crazy people behind this . . .

 _Or zombies_.

Oh well. So much for thinking that we'd be rid of those goddamn bastards and all that goddamn grief.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the work day, I practically flew down the stairs and found Peater in the lobby.

"We have training tonight, you know?" he reminded me.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." I sighed as we headed out.

"You seem very edgy today, Elyssia. Maybe we should take it easy —"

"Or maybe we should _forget about it and pretend that NOTHING happened._ " I cut him off curtly, before going my own way.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Kensington. I'll meet you back home, all right?" I muttered as I continued walking.

* * *

I was about to walk into the crowded marketplace when I bumped into someone. I looked up, only to find that it was one of my coworkers.

"Hey, Ashley." I said, shaking her leaf.

"Hi, Elyssia." she replied with a smile.

As I looked at her, I thought back to one of my sisters. _Adria_. She looked and sounded just like her. Maybe . . .

No. We weren't that close at work. We rarely saw each other, for Christ's sake. And if we _did_ bump into one another, we'd exchange greetings, maybe have a small conversation, but that was about it. Besides . . . if she _was_ my sister in disguise, then we'd be a bit closer . . . right?

"What's up, Ashley?" I mumbled, shaking myself out of my thoughts.

"Not much. Just decided to give these to ya." She handed me a pair of rollerblades, which I immediately donned.

"Thank you so much, Ashley. But why —"

"For the girl who's as fast as the wind." she replied, before turning around and walking away. Shrugging her words off, I decided to skate over to the Bay subway station so that I could get home.

I practically flew from the Rosedale subway station and to my home. I opened the door, stepped carefully inside, and made sure to lock the door behind me.

"Hi, Elyssia." Peater greeted me as he sat down on the floor beside me.

"Look . . . I'm really sorry for the way I acted today, Peater. I'm shocked you even still want to _look_ at me, let alone speak to me, or give me the time of day, or —" He cut me off with a hug and a patient smile.

"I know you got a lot going on, and you don't want me to pry. But remember, if you feel you're all alone, you can always talk to me." he reassured me.

"Even if it _hurts_ you?" I muttered as I began to untie my rollerblades.

"What?"

"Oh . . . nothing. Nothing."

* * *

Training took place at Mosspark Armory, as per usual. Our trainer, a young, hip Commando Pea named Jackson, took attendance, and warmed us up. We punched and kicked some training dummies. We practiced our shooting. And then, it was time for the _real_ training to commence.

"Today, we're gonna learn about fighting with blades. Elyssia, give me a couple of ways that this skill would be useful."

"Well, being able to throw knives would be useful. And of course, blade-to-blade combat is pretty common when you're fighting zombies."

"Thank you, Elyssia! Everyone, I'm gonna throw a knife at you, and you're gonna catch it. Ready?"

We all nodded, and less than a second later, knives were coming our way. I caught mine with one leaf, and cringed as I saw some of the other, less experienced plants get themselves grazed by a blade.

"Not bad for a start. From what I can see, only 5 out of 40 of us are bleeding." Jackson said.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Perhaps we should just focus on improving our throwing skills." he suggested, before he blew his whistle.

And with that, we spent the next five minutes throwing knives at targets.

"You got a pretty good aim, Elyssia. Keep it up." Jackson remarked as I managed to land the 20th knife in where the dummy's heart would be.

"How am I supposed to do this?" Peater complained as he missed for the umpteenth time.

"First, stop shaking. Second, don't _lob_ the knife. You're supposed to throw it as if you're punching something." I suggested. He followed my direction, and finally managed to get a knife into the dummy's head.

After a few more minutes, Jackson blew his whistle again.

"Good job. For the last few minutes, all of you could land a fatal blow on the dummies." Jackson commented with an approving nod.

"Seems like we've finished phase one of this unit. Guess we should work a little more on our hand-to-hand combat skills. Looks like we need a bit more improvement in that field. Emelia, come up here for a sec, would you?"

A shy, trembling Mystic Flower stepped up to the front.

"Now show me how you would, say, restrain and/or hold back a defective plant."

She took a deep breath, and ran at Jackson with all her might. She looked like she was going to kick him down, but in a split second, she was the one in a restraint.

"And this, my friends, is how you should _not_ restrain anybody." Jackson stated.

And so, we spent the next half hour practicing restraints and headlocks on one another, taking into consideration the weak points in certain plants, how to render them unable to attack you with their abilities, and so on and so forth. After I unintentionally started to strangle Emelia while I had her in a headlock, Jackson blew his whistle rather sheepishly.

"That's enough for tonight, I think. Same time tomorrow. And _don't try to kill anybody._ " Jackson announced, giving me a knowing look. All of us, however, cracked up at our trainer's words as we left the building.

* * *

"That was something, wasn't it?" Peater remarked as we started our walk home.

"I guess. But I've seen funnier." I replied with a shrug.

"By the way, where'd you get those skates?"

"Oh, Ashley gave them to me. Y'know . . . she's my coworker and stuff."

"Just wondering, that's all. And by the way?"

"Yeah?" By this time, we were already pretty close to our house.

"I just wanted to say . . . thank you." Peater whispered as we came to our doorstep.

"For what?" I asked.

"For . . . being in my life. I feel really lucky to be close to you." he answered as he wrapped his arms around me in a close embrace. I felt something that I hadn't felt in a while: _peaceful_.

"Thanks for being in my life as well." I murmured as I returned the hug.

After I took off my rollerblades, Peater and I went up into our room to sleep. The day had worn both of us out, and we wanted nothing more than to get a well-deserved forty winks. But as soon as the light was turned out, the shadows in my room began to morph into monsters and beasts. I turned to my window, and saw the shadowy outline of a tall man wearing a cape. And you wanna know the worst part?

He had red eyes.

The red eyes that the monsters and beasts in my room and in my nightmares notoriously possessed.

The red eyes that Dr. Zomboss possessed.

I let out a little cry as I began to feel the monsters closing in on me. And then, as if he knew what was happening, Peater turned around and wrapped me in a warm embrace.

"I know you see the monsters, Elyssia. But remember, I'm here. I'll protect you." he whispered, calming me down almost instantaneously. Feeling a bit safer, I managed to slip easily into the world of my dreams.

 **A/N: First update in three months, and damn, I'm proud of myself! Another thing I'd like to say is that this is the first time I've included PVZGW characters in my stories. The only reason as to why that's the case is because I haven't played the game yet, because apparently, THE NEAREST EB GAMES IS TEN YEARS AWAY! (It isn't actually, but STILL!) }:(  
Also, I'd like to say thank you for almost 6000 views on TTTBAF as of 10/15/16 BECAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF VIEWS! Had no idea one story could get that much attention!*o*  
And one last thing that I thought I should bring to your attention: I have a poll up on my profile asking all y'all what you'd like to see after I finish this story, TGBOQS, ANNND SOMC (God, haven't gotten back to that one in a year O_O). The reason why I have this up is because I've got a million projects that I wanna start, but then I'm afraid I'll get sidetracked, as is usually the case with an ADHD victim such as myself. So now, I want YOUR opinion on what should be up next!  
So until next time, take care of yourselves and each other!**

 **GamerGirl is OUTTA HERE!**


	3. Four Planes and A Warning

_**CHAPTER 3: Four Planes and A Warning**_

 **A/N: I'm back, with a vengeance! XD Soo . . . there are couple announcements I need to make. First thing I thought was worth mentioning was that part of the title (the "four planes" part) was inspired by Metallica's "The Four Horsemen". The other thing is that this is gonna be a short lil filler because, y'know . . . there's couple things in here that build up the plot and stuff. Welp, that all being said, happy reading, fam! ;)**

 _BANG-BANG!_

This was the fourth day in a row that I'd heard gunshots overnight. It's happened so many times, and I'd had so many dreams where I was in the middle of a crossfire that I was never really sure about what was real and what was fantasy when the gunshots rang out at night. My initial fear of hearing the rapports in the first couple of days was replaced by pure irritation.

"Jesus Christ! Wouldn't it make more sense to stage quieter attacks?!" I roared as I shut my window at 3 in the morning one night.

"Well, the zombies are obviously very dumb, so they wouldn't take that into consideration . . ." Peater mumbled as he opened one eye groggily.

"Well, I —" I was cut off by the ground jerking sharply as a loud boom resonated through the area.

"Aw shit, really? _BOMBS?!_ " I huffed as four planes circled overhead.

"What did I tell you nearly a week ago? The zombies could be back!" Peater sniffed.

"I know that . . . but we need _proof_ , so that nobody thinks we're trying to terrorize the city!"

"You're right. Even though it's highly likely to me that it's zombies, I'll just . . . go along with you on that."

"Yeah. Well . . . I wanna sleep. We'll need rest, after all!"

"Heh . . . goodnight."

"'Night."

* * *

" _WHAT THE HELL!?_ " I screeched as I tried to turn on the lights in the bathroom the next morning, but to no avail.

"Well . . . take a look at these two stories." Peater suggested as he handed me an issue of the Toronto Star.

I returned to our bedroom and began to read the story as I sat down on the bed.

 _ELECTRICITY GRID KNOCKED OUT FOR ENTIRE SOUTHEAST REGION_

 _Late the previous night, four planes were reportedly seen flying about, dropping three deadly bombs as they went, resulting in a power shortage for the majority of the GTA and Ottawa.  
Recent rumours have been linking these attacks with the possible return of Dr. Zomboss. Ever since the Nate Phillips Brawl, Zomboss has stayed away from public radar and has been presumed to be dead. Could we be face to face with war once more?_

"Now read the next article." Peater instructed.

 _PROVINCES OF QUEBEC AND TERRITORIES OF NUNAVUT AND YUKON COMPLETELY OBLITERATED!_

 _At roughly the same time as the hydro was cut off, several bomber planes dropped what appeared to be an atomic bomb on Nunavut, Yukon and Quebec, wiping out everything and everyone. Warnings that we could be facing a brand new threat are now in place for the rest of the country._

"Holy . . . I can't believe this. I . . . holy crap." I muttered as the news intermingled with what I was already dealing with.

"That's three provinces I've let down. And I thought I could save them." I whispered as I closed my eyes, letting a couple of tears slide down my cheeks. I could almost hear the terrified screams of plants as they were blown to pieces, scalded by the heat of the bomb, or worse, crushed by a thousand kilograms' worth of Zomboss' wrath.

"Come on, Elyssia. You didn't know." he mumbled.

"I should've known! I should've taken action sooner!" I cried, bolts of ice flying from my pods.

"Shh . . . it's not your fault. Don't blame everything on yourself."

"IT _IS_ MY FAULT! I _FAILED!_ " I screeched, more ice flying from my equivalents to hands.

"Look at me." he commanded. I looked obligingly into his green eyes, which seemed to calm me down.

"Elyssia, listen — I'm sticking with you through it all. If we survived the last bout, we'll survive this one, you hear?" he whispered as he hugged me. I only smiled in response as he walked me down the stairs and out the door.

* * *

All day at work as I tried to write reports and do my assignments, all that everyone was talking about was the zombies' possible return, if not some recent shooting. I could barely focus, every sentence with the word 'Zomboss' contributing to a progressively worsening headache. Soon, the words, numbers and figures were swimming in front of me, and so was everything else. I couldn't keep my eyes fixed on one thing for more than half a second, because to me, I was merely floating helplessly in the world around me. Everything I heard either sent a massive shockwave of pain into my head, or sounded muffled and incoherent. It didn't take very long for the feelings to become so overwhelming that I passed out.

"You okay?" I heard someone ask me as I came to in the canteen.

"What?" I mumbled, trying to get my eyes to focus.

"Are you all right?" the voice repeated itself.

"I . . . OW!" Pain ran through my body as I began to jerk involuntarily back and forth. I felt myself slip halfway under once more, but something stopped me from fully losing consciousness. I then felt like a puppet on a set of strings, speaking words that weren't my own.

" _She who defeats the empire built by the undead is to die, and die NOW!"_

" _In the case that she doesn't fall, she'll be robbed of her greatest treasure: HER LIFE AS SHE KNOWS IT!"_

" _You inferior little TWAT! You're hopeless! HOPELESS! Just let go, you worthless piece of —"_

* * *

" _ELYSSIA!_ " Peater screamed as he grabbed me shook me out of my trance.

"What . . . what happened?" I cried, panicky and clammy from sheer worry that I'd said or done something terrible.

"What you said . . . is it true?" he gasped.

"That I'll lose my memories? That I'll die and won't come back? That you're inferior?" I asked. He nodded painfully, and looked at the floor.

"This is a bad sign. The zombies are coming back. And they're out to get you."

I only sat in silence. I couldn't face the thought of leaving Peater with all this pain. I needed to _fight_ , go all out against Zomboss. And this time, I wasn't afraid to do so, like I was when I was twelve.

"No, don't even —"

"Well what do you expect me to do? Sit on my ass and be all like "Go ahead, kill me off, I ain't running!" _NO!_ I'm fighting, whether you like it or not —"

"What happened to the promise, eh?!" he growled as things began to escalate between us.

"I'LL KEEP MY HEART BEATING EVEN IF IT TAKES HALF MY ENERGY, GODDAMMIT!" I screamed, not caring that I was only adding more fuel to the fire.

"But what if you do something stupid? I mean . . . the Maccabaeus instinct —"

" _DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY FAMILY'S NAME!_ " I growled as I stood up, my crystals turning a light shade of lavender.

"Well, that's all you're known for —"

"NO IT'S _NOT!_ " I spat, waving the tattoo in his face.

"We're known for being lethally powerful as well, y'know! Be it with electricity, raw strength, sheer brilliance, or wielding a blade, we're powerful and thick-skinned. That's why some plants in my family have this tattoo!"

"I didn't mean it to be offensive, I really didn't know —"

"Well, congratulations! You just learned something new today! And the instinct . . . 8 out of ten times it leads us in the right direction. Think about all those times when I acted out of sheer impulse! Now imagine what would've happened if I didn't do that!"

"But —"

"If I didn't tell our little circle of fellow prisoners to actually try, we'd be eating chickenshit for breakfast, lunch and dinner! If I didn't make that plan back when we were imprisoned, we'd be stuck there! If I didn't take the knife for you when Ash tried to murder you, you'd be kissin bugs and dirt six feet under! I'd be stuck with Adam and his nasty gang of devils back in the dream realm had it not been for my instinct telling me to welcome the pain with open arms! If I'd just let you handle the Zombot back with Harryton and Moses, you'd be ripped into shreds! Oh, and now that we're on the subject, think about what woulda happened if I didn't bite Moses' hand! We'd BOTH be dead! Now, if I hadn't bit Zomboss, we'd still be haunted by Mar and Scuttle because he wouldn't of dragged us into an environment where we could do away with them! And when I said that Latin phrase in Zomboss' freak machine, I took the first step in getting us outta that hell! If I hadn't come up with that crazy plan on the island, we would've come away unsuccessful and with more deaths than we did! If I hadn't did everything I did in the Scally, we'd be nowhere close to where we are today! If I didn't jump out that window in the sewage plant and then go up to lead that army, we woulda lost a _hell_ of an important battle! Had I not told you to do what you did in Nathan Phillips Square, and had just did what any other plant would do, Zomboss woulda whooped our helpless little asses! Where would we be then?!"

"But your impulse is what led you to get hurt so many times, emotionally and physically!" he sputtered.

"But think about this . . ." I trailed off, and knelt beside him.

"If I hadn't got up and almost died on Yonge Street, you wouldn't have met me, and I probably wouldn't have made it to where I stand today!" Tears filling his eyes, he grabbed me and practically smothered me in an embrace.

"Look . . . we're eventually gonna have to fight. You're right about that. But please know that whatever you do in this new war, I'm gonna have to do it with you. Even if it costs me my life —"

"Then hell, I'll take my own life too!" I muttered.

"You know what? That's besides the point! I just wanted you to know that . . . I don't want this struggle to screw us up anymore, all right? I don't want this to end with us not even _knowing_ each other . . . because . . . that'll be too much pain to bear. I need you to keep that promise we made, all right? My father's gone. My mother's gone. You are _all_ I have. You hear?" Peater sighed.

"Yes. I'll try —"

"You either _will_ or you _won't_. There's no _try_."

"I . . . I will." I said with a voice full of conviction after a long silence.

"Good." he mumbled, before he kissed my cheek.

Boy, this is gonna be one _hard_ promise to keep.

 **A/N: ANND CUT! That's the end of chapter three, our little filler chapter . . . what are your thoughts? X3 Anywho, next chapter will be an EXCITING, ACTION-PACKED chapter! One with lots more to buzz about than this one, that's for sure!**

 **~This girl is outta here!**


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